Abducted 2
by Serling
Summary: The story continues! The long awaited continuation of Abducted is finally here! Hope all you Abducted fans enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

.Chapter one.

He looked so… different; I wasn't used to seeing him sitting behind a desk, with glasses on as well mind you! It had only been four Earth days, but, turns out, it had been thirty-six Triceraton weeks since I had last seen Cloak. Now, as I said, he sat behind a desk, in a room, in his parents' house, reading… something; I couldn't see.

"Well, go on, Dear," Mrs. T coaxed me with a gentle nudge to walk in.

I just smiled back at her and nodded. I gently knocked on the door.

"Enter," Cloak said, his voice still how I remembered it, but… there was something missing.

I opened the door fully and walked in.

"Yes?" Cloak asked, not even lifting his head from the text he was reading.

"Is that all I'm going to get out of you?" I asked.

I saw him stop mid-sentence in his book; he looked as if he had just gotten a mild fright. Eventually, he lifted his head to look at me.

"Cal?" he asked.

"Hey," I replied with a gentle smile.

He just stared at me as if I were a ghost or something. I thought a little humour may be in order.

"Come on! I hitch a ride on an intergalactic merchant's ship to the Triceraton home world, get told you're no longer there, almost have a _heart _attack 'cause I think something's happened to you, get told you're _fine _just off the home-world, get put onto another cargo ship heading this way, meet up with your crazy cousin; who so kindly drove me here by the way, and all I get is a stare?" I asked, an ear-to-ear grin on my face.

"It really is you!" Cloak said, quickly getting out of his chair and coming to the front of his desk.

"Yup," I replied simplistically.

"You… you look exactly the way you did the day you left."

"I changed clothes, thank you very much!" I folded my arms across my chest.

Cloak smiled amusedly at me.

"You've changed a lot though," I said, seriously.

He sighed and removed his glasses from his nose.

"Yeah, I guess I have," he said, tapping his glasses against the palm of his hand.

"Are you two done with the 'moment' yet?" asked Zanner, he was waiting outside with Mr and Mrs T.

"No moment, Zanner; he killed it by just staring," I replied over my shoulder.

"What?" With that Zanner and Cloak's parents walked in.

"Cloak!" Zanner started.

"Don't start on me, Zanner," Cloak said, pointing his glasses at his cousin.

Zanner really looked like he wanted to start a rant, but he semi-successfully restrained himself.

"At least give her a hug," he said, gesturing to me.

Cloak looked at me and I looked at him; tilting my head a bit as a signal for him to go ahead. He smiled, walked up to me and gave me a hug; one that, I thought, was way overdue. I hugged him back and his grip tightened.

"That's better!" Zanner said, folding his arms across his chest.

I giggled; Zanner was just too funny sometimes. Cloak chuckled too, as he released me and I released him.

"You don't know how I've been longing for your touch again, my love," Cloak said, cupping my cheek in his hand.

I just smiled at him and put my hand on his. He was right though; I didn't know how he had been feeling seeing as it had only been four days back home. Cloak looked at his parents and Zanner and cleared his throat. Mr. and Mrs. T, along with Zanner, nodded understandingly.

"We'll see you two later," Mrs. T said, as she turned and began to lead the others out.

Once they were out, Cloak and I returned our attention to each other.

"So…am I still the only guy in your life or…, while you were back on Earth, did you find someone else?" Cloak asked with a knowing smile, as he picked my ponytail up in his hand and let it run over his fingers as he released it.

"I was home for four days, Cloak; you do the math," I replied with a smile.

His smile just widened.

"And you? I know it's been a bit longer here than on Earth," I said.

"I've had some… shall we say 'offers', but… none _really_ caught my attention," he replied.

"Tempting?"

He stuck his lower lip out as he thought about his answer.

"Uh… not really, Sweetheart. I don't know what it is, but…, heh, humans are just more appealing to me," he replied with a sheepish smile.

I just smiled and shook my head. I had barely looked back up at him when I was whisked off my feet and back into his arms.

"Cloak!" I said, startled by the sudden action.

"Sorry," he chuckled and released me again.

"What was _that_ for?"

"Sweetheart, it's been _how_ long since I last saw you? I would like a bit more contact with you than just eye contact."

I just smiled amusedly and then turned to head for the door.

"Something wrong?" he asked, a bit puzzled.

"Walk with me. Talk with me," I replied over my shoulder, as I opened the door and walked out.

Cloak smiled knowingly and followed my lead.

Soon we were out in one of the back fields of Cloak's parents' farm; walking hand-in-hand.

"This enough contact for you?" I asked, squeezing his hand slightly.

"I suppose so," Cloak replied, squeezing my hand.

"Good."

Cloak chuckled at my response; I just smiled at him. He caught me smiling at him and suddenly adopted a sly look.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"Uh… never mind," he replied, returning his gaze to the horizon.

I raised and eyebrow at him, but left it at that.

Not two seconds later though… Cloak kissed my cheek. I couldn't help but smile.

"Been a while?" I asked.

"You know it has," he replied, nuzzling my cheek.

"Oh, Cloak!" someone sang from the other side of the field.

Cloak looked up and his mood immediately dampened.

"Oh no," he said, stopping.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Uh… one of my more… _persistent_ admirers I'm afraid, my love."

I had to think for a moment, but then I remembered, "Oh ho, _don't_ tell me…"

"I'm afraid so."

Just then, over a small rise in the ground came Melody; the Triceraton lass I had met last time I was on the farm. The moment she caught sight of the pair of us, I could see she became more rigid.

"Well, well," she said, as she got closer to us, "Lookie who's come back. I thought you disappeared to some backwater planet."

"Earth? Oh, yes. Been there, missed my boy and… well… had to come back," I replied, trying to be as nice as I could.

"Took you long enough to start missing him. Thirty-six weeks, if I'm not mistaken."

"Big time difference; three weeks here is only eight hours back on Earth."

"So that's… uh…" She looked away from us for a moment as she tried to figure out the days.

"Four," I said.

"Only four days?"

I just nodded.

"Huh. Should've only been two; if you really…," she started, but then she got distracted by something behind her, "Doh! Just when I'm about to…. Look, I gotta get back home, mother's calling."

Cloak and I nodded understandably; both trying not to look too grateful.

"I'll… see you 'round won't I, Cloak?" she asked, almost hopefully.

"Not too sure, Melody; Cal and I have a lot of catching up to do," Cloak replied, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

She glared at him and then at me and then turned to head home; mumbling something to herself as she left.

"Yeah, she's one thing I _didn't_ miss about this place," I said.

Cloak just chuckled and squeezed my shoulders slightly.

"Should we head back?" I asked.

"Now why would we want to do that? Interruption _city_ back at the house; we need some time alone, sweetheart," he replied.

"Alright, where do you suggest then?"

All he did was give me a knowing smile before he began to lead us back in the general direction of the house.


	2. Chapter 2

.Chapter two.

"The barn?" I asked, as we walked into the structure.

"Yes," Cloak replied, sitting down on an old metal chest.

"All right; I guess you don't go through a war without coming out with at least _some_ understanding of strategy."

"Thank you." Cloak chuckled and patted the vacant space next to him.

I smiled at him and walked over.

"So, how was your family when you got back to them?" he asked, as I sat down next to him.

"Fine. A bit freaked out about my sudden disappearance and then being contacted by a strange alien dinosaur, but fine otherwise," I replied nonchalantly.

Cloak just chuckled and put an arm around my shoulders.

"What have you been up to since we last saw each other?" I asked.

"Well, a lot more than you I guess. Uh… I resigned from my military position shortly after you left; I thought being somewhere where Zanramon _can't_ use the hardware against me too easily would be a good thing," he replied.

"Good thinking."

"I thought so. Um… I then came back here and helped my parents out with the farm."

"What did the All Stars have to say about that?"

"They understood completely; every now and then I get a visit from them. Zap's doing great by the way."

"They been taking good care of him?"

"Oh yes. He's officially part of the gladiator team now; got a few broken ribs to prove it too."

I cringed, but that was one of the dangers they had to face when they were in the pit.

"What about Bruno?" I asked.

"The dog?" Cloak asked.

"Yes."

"Fine, last I checked. Having fun terrorising that opposing team's cat."

I just smiled amusedly.

"He's _perfectly_ fine," I said.

"Yeah. Um… can't seem to recall anything else."

"Zanner been driving you 'round the bend?"

"Every now and then, but only when he's around here, which, fortunately, isn't too often."

"I heard that, Cloak," said Zanner, as he poked his head into the barn.

"You found us already?" Cloak asked.

"No, this is just what's going to happen in a couple of minutes when I'm done checking the boxes next door."

I giggled at the sarcasm, but Cloak just gave his cousin a dry look.

"You two planning on coming back in anytime soon?" Zanner asked, ignoring his cousin's look.

"Yes. Just give us a trigon," I said.

Zanner nodded and gave us a wink before disappearing out of the barn.

"So, now what, Stealth? If Zanner found us that quickly…," I started.

"We can head in I suppose," Cloak replied.

I nodded and began to stand to head back in, but Cloak pulled me back down to my spot next to him.

"Only in a trigon, babe. You _did_ tell Zanner a _trigon_," Cloak said, with a small smile.

"So I did," I replied with a smile.

The remainder of the day was pretty unexciting. I had to give a detailed report as to what I had been up to on Earth to Mr. and Mrs. Titanium over dinner, but other than that nothing terribly interesting.

The next day I awoke to a very strange sight, smell and sensation. I blinked my eyes several times to clear the blur that was in front of me at the same time trying to figure out where this hot air draft was coming from and what that awful scent it was bringing with it was. My eyes had almost cleared when something pink and wet went across my face.

"Agh!" I exclaimed sitting up and wiping the gob from my face.

Three excited barks let me know what it was and upon looking down at the owner of the tongue I found none other than Bruno's three sets of eyes looking back at me.

"Bruno!" I exclaimed, as the dog jumped onto my bed and proceeded to nuzzle me.

"Hello boy! What are you doing here?" I asked, as I hugged the now not-so-small pup I had helped raise.

"I thought he would get you up," said a familiar voice.

I looked up and saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway.

"Mixx!"

"Hey kid. The others are waiting in the living room."

I nodded and then, after extricating myself out from underneath Bruno and giving my hair a quick brush, got out of bed to meet up with the others.

Upon entering the living room, I was glad to find that I wasn't the only one in their pyjamas; Cloak was still in his.

"Hey fellas," I said, walking in with Mixx and Bruno flanking me.

"Cal!" smiled a particularly friendly face.

"Zap!"

No sooner had the word left my mouth had I been lifted clear off the floor in a Triceraton-sized hug.

"It's good to see you," I said, hugging him back.

"Right back at yah," he replied with a smile, as he set me back on the ground.

Cloak cleared his throat.

I looked over at him and smiled; as did the All Stars and Burn.

"Yes?" I asked innocently.

He just gave me a look and I knew what he was getting at. I walked over to him and put my hands on his shoulders.

"Good morning," I said, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Morning," he replied with a smile and a quick kiss on my cheek.

"You two still keeping it together I see," said Burn.

"Yes, we are," Cloak replied, gently rubbing my hand that was on his right shoulder.

"I wasn't stepping on any _toes_ was I, Cloak?" Zap asked with a good humoured smile.

"No, but keep it up and you might be," Cloak replied with equal good humour.

Zap just smiled at him.

"So, what brings you boys 'round here?" I asked, looking at the All Stars.

"We were in the neighbourhood and thought we'd drop in," replied Burn.

"We were quite surprised to hear that you were back," Monza said out of the blue.

I just smiled at him.

"We were wondering when we would see you again," said Mixx.

"Yeah, it has been… how long?" asked Zap, looking at Mixx for help.

"Too long," said Cloak, when all Mixx did was shrug.

"True," Zap replied.

"You didn't have any trouble on the home world did you?" asked Dax.

"No, fortunately I didn't," I replied.

"I'm surprised you didn't."

"Huh?" Cloak and I asked in unison.

"Zanramon's had security on _high_ alert for her for a long while. He doesn't seem to be giving up."

Cloak and I looked at each other; here I was thinking that all that was a thing of days gone by.

"Rumour has it that he's got spies all over the galaxy keeping their eyes open for you," Xiote added.

I felt Cloak tense as he heard the news; our battles obviously weren't over.

"Hey, it'll be okay," I said, rubbing his shoulder's slightly.

"We'll see," he replied, gently patting my hand.

"Hey, sorry for bringing the mood down, but… it's what's going on," Mixx apologized.

"No; it's fine. It's good to know what we're up against," said Cloak, brightening up a little bit.

"Yes, thanks for telling us guys," I smiled.

The others smiled back.

(Author's note: I know the chapters are getting rather short, but life's kinda getting hectic and inspiration for this line of story is drying up quicker than a puddle in the middle of summer. Also, I don't think this story is going to be as long as its predecessor. Sorry. ^^;)


	3. Chapter 3

.Chapter three.

Later that day, the All Stars were out training in one of the nearby fields; being adored by the single female populace of the nearby village and surrounding farms and Cloak was becoming far too clingy for his own good.

"Cloak, I'm only going to say this once more: _personal space_," I said, as I felt him press up against me.

"Cal, I don't want to lose you," he said; I could hear in his voice that he was getting tetchy.

"I know, but could I just have an _inch_; just an inch of personal space?"

With a low grumble and a reluctant wrinkle of his nose he stepped away; exactly an inch.

"Thank you," I said.

He just snorted irritably as he looked away at the surrounding fields. We were standing on the porch of his parents' house, keeping an eye out for the All Stars who would no doubt return tired and in need of re-hydrating.

"Relax hey. Everything will be fine," I said, taking his hand in mine.

He snorted amusedly before replying, "You're such an optimist."

"Thank you."

I caught him smiling slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, for all we know, Zanramon doesn't even _know_ that I'm here," I said.

"He may not know now, but… give his spies a day or two, baby. You know that he only hires the best."

"Oh, why, thank you for the compliment."

"Huh?"

"Unless you've forgotten, Handsome; _I_ was his secretary for a little while."

"Oh yes. That's right. That's where he met you isn't it?"

"Well, re-met. He 'met' me when he and Mozar captured me originally."

"Right… shows how well my memory's working."

"A lot has happened between now and then, Cloak. I don't expect you to remember _everything_."

"No, not everything, but… at least ninety-nine percent of you: what you've told me about yourself, our times together, etcetera."

I smiled compassionately up at him and he smiled down at me.

"You are too sweet; you know that?" I asked, squeezing his hand slightly.

"I know," he replied, returning the gesture.

The pair of us just chuckled at the statement and returned our attention to watching out for the All Stars.

As day turned to night, I was relieved to see the end of it. Cloak twitched and flinched at the slightest of sounds; I hated seeing him like this, but… I understood his nervousness as well.

"You can't very well follow me in _here_, Cloak," I said, as I entered the bathroom to wash up.

He snorted irritably before replying, "I _know_. Just be careful."

"I will be, but I highly doubt that there will be any of Zanramon's 'agents' waiting to whisk me away from you in here."

With that I closed the door and made my way over to the bath. I had already run the water so all that was left was to get in. I was just about to take my top off when…

"I would prefer it if you _didn't_ do that," said a voice from behind me.

I froze.

"Turn around slowly. No fast moves."

I put my hands up and turned to face my 'visitor'; he was another Triceraton. Dark in colour, slender build, wearing a black stealth suit and holding a nicely sized laser blaster.

"Zanramon's crony I'm guessing," I said, looking him over.

"You got it." He slid from his perch atop the laundry basket onto the floor and began to walk towards me; keeping the blaster aimed at me the whole time.

"Now," he started, "You are going to keep quiet and follow every order I give you. Understood?"

"If I don't?"

"Zanramon'll be _very_ _very_ unhappy with me for blowing away the love of his life, but maybe he'll go lightly seeing as no one else can have you either."

I just nodded understandingly.

"Let's go," the Triceraton said, gesturing with his blaster at the window.

"You're not serious," I said, looking at the tiny window.

"Uh-uh. What did I say about keeping quiet?"

I rolled my eyes, as he walked towards the window and quietly opened it.

"Ladies first," he said, bowing slightly and gesturing towards the open window mockingly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but complied with the order.

Just before I was out of the window he said, "Don't even _think_ about making a run for it, cutie."

"Why not?" I asked, looking at him over my shoulder and trying to be as much of a pain as I could.

"I'm why," came a voice from in front of me.

I looked forward and found myself staring into the eyes of another, larger Triceraton.

"Whoa! Touch and Go in Triceraton form," I said.

He raised a brow ridge at me.

"The boss wants this one _why_?" he asked, looking at his partner.

He shrugged and replied, "Maybe he likes the odd ones."

"Yeah, that's why he hired you two," I quipped in.

They both frowned irritably at me.

"Get her out of there," the slender Triceraton said.

I couldn't even get a word in before the larger one had pulled me out of the window and was holding me under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey, hey, hey, easy," I reprimanded the larger of the two.

The slender Triceraton slid out of the window and then said, "Let's go before her boyfriend catches us."

The larger one nodded and then the pair took off towards their small fighter craft that was behind the house.

Once aboard, I was put into a holding cell at the back of the craft while my two captors manned the flight controls; deja vu or what! It wasn't long before we docked into a larger cruiser that was 'parked' just above the atmosphere of the planet.

After releasing me from the holding cell, my two captors led me down the ramp of their fighter, onto the floor of the docking bay and then down a long corridor.

"In here," the slender Triceraton said, opening a door.

I gave him a disdainful look, but then complied with the order. As soon as I was in the door closed behind me, but I continued to walk down the short corridor unperturbed by the door. The room at the end of the corridor was dimly lit; the corridor itself wasn't lit at all. I could see a sofa of sorts against the far wall of the room and I had a good idea what was waiting for me when I reached it.

"So nice to see you again, my dear," said an all too familiar voice as I entered the room from the corridor.

I looked to my right and saw none other than the Triceraton Prime Leader sitting smugly on the far side of the sofa.

"Zanramon," I said coldly, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Nice to see you remember me as well."

"You're a _little_ bit difficult to forget." I was so-o hoping the 'little' remark would create some kind of disliking in him, but, unfortunately, he didn't seem bothered by it.

"Come have a seat will you?" he asked, patting the space next to him.

"I would rather stand thank you," I replied, making sure I was at my full height.

He just smiled to himself.

"Funny. I don't recall you being _this_ stubborn back when I first met you," he said.

"I was your employee; I had no choice _but_ to behave myself. I assure you that I am as stubborn as they come, Zanramon; and then some," I replied.

He just smiled the annoyingly smug smile of his again. During the silence I was trying to figure out how to _get_ out of here or how I could contact Cloak without Zanramon knowing. Zanramon looked like he was about to say something, but a 'donk' from above us cut him off. He quickly pressed an intercom button that was on the armrest of the sofa.

"See what that was," he said.

"We're on it, sir," came the quick reply.

"Your little friend had better not try anything, my dear; my men have been instructed to destroy him on sight if he makes it so much as within a kilometre of my cruiser."

Suddenly, through the ventilation system of the ship, thick greyish-green smoke began to pour in.

"What in blazes?" Zanramon exclaimed, quickly standing up from his chair.

It wasn't long before the room was filled with smoke and the pair of us were rendered semi-helpless due to our coughing and spluttering.


	4. Chapter 4

.Chapter four.

Just then we heard the door to the room open and a Triceraton soldier raced in with two others; they were all wearing gas masks.

"Get the Prime Leader out of here. Quickly!" the first one ordered.

"Right," his two accomplices agreed, as they lifted Zanramon to his feet by his arms and began to lead him out of the room.

"You're coming with me," the first Triceraton said, holding a hand out for me to take.

I couldn't reply because I was still trying to rid my lungs of the irritating smoke. Before I could register what was happening though, I was whisked up into the arms of the Triceraton soldier and had a gas mask planted on my head. My breathing soon eased and my coughing stopped.

"Better babe?" the Triceraton asked in a gentler and surprisingly familiar voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, looking at the Triceraton.

For the first time I was able to see what he looked like; 'dirty' orange skin visible mostly on his arms seeing as he wore a uniform with the sleeves removed, black fingerless gloves protected his hands, and, looking into his face, I could see that he was missing a horn.

"Cloak?" I asked in a hushed tone.

He chuckled.

"Thought you'd never catch on," he said.

"Cloak! What are you doing here? Zanramon's gonna…"

"He doesn't have to know. This smokescreen won't last too long; we've got to move _now_."

"How? Zanramon's men…"

"Aren't as completely loyal as he would like them to be. I've still got connections."

"Cloak? You coming or what? The pilots have almost regained their senses again and they'll purge the smoke out of the exterior vents in moments," came a familiar voice from the doorway.

"We're ready, DC. You and your crew sure you'll be all right?" Cloak asked, as he began to walk towards the door.

"Yeah. If we have any problems we've agreed that we'll evacuate to your parents' farm."

"Oh gee, thanks. I'm sure mom and dad will be _thrilled_ to hear that."

DC just chuckled and began to lead us out.

Soon Cloak and I were in a small vessel, which he piloted back to the farm where Zanner, the All-Stars and Mr and Mrs T were waiting for us.

"Oh! We're so glad to see that you're all right," Mrs. T said, as she hugged me tightly.

"Yeah, me too," I replied, trying not to sound strangled.

She released me and smiled at me. Just then something occurred to me.

"Cloak," I said, turning to look at him.

"Yes?" he asked, taking his gas mask off.

"How did you know that I had been kidnapped?"

"I have Mixx to thank for that."

"Oh?" I looked over at Mixx, who was currently holding onto Bruno's lead.

"It was nothing really," he replied, a bit bashfully.

"He was heading back in with Bruno from their walk when he saw a ship take off from behind the house. He told me and… I got mom to check on you," Cloak explained.

I just nodded; I could piece together what had happened after that.

"Thank you all. I don't know what I would have done if Cloak hadn't shown up when he did," I said.

"Zanramon getting a bit much for you?" he asked.

I could tell by his tone that he was not being flippant.

"Close to it, yes," I replied with a little smile.

He just snorted disapprovingly.

I just smiled at him, moved closer and put his arm around my shoulders. He let a small smile creep onto his face as he gently squeezed my shoulders.

Just then a beep issued from his pocket.

"That your pilot's communicator, Cloak?" asked Monza.

"Yes," Cloak replied, pulling a small communication device from his pocket.

He pressed a button and a voice began to issue from the device.

"Cloak," it said almost in a whisper.

"D.C? What's the matter?" Cloak asked.

"We've got a little problem up here."

"What _kind_ of problem?"

"Zarnozican Pirate kind."

Everyone looked aghast, except me 'cause I hadn't a clue what they were talking about.

"Zarnozican?" Mr. Titanium asked.

"But aren't they supposed to be on the _other_ side of the galaxy?" asked Mrs. T.

"They are," Cloak replied gravely, subconsciously pulling me closer to him.

"I guess Zanramon got on their wrong side at some time," said Burn.

"He gets on _everybody's_ bad side, Burn," Cloak replied, looking at the All-Star's coach out of the corner of his eye.

Static was all that was coming from the communicator at the moment; D.C had switched his off for some reason.

"I'm guessing by your expressions that they _aren't_ the friendliest of fellows," I said, looking at each of the present Triceratons.

"You got that right," said Burn, putting his hands onto his hips.

"They're quite a ruthless bunch," said Monza.

"What will they do with Zanramon if they do capture him?" I asked, looking up at Cloak.

"I… don't think you really want to know, my love," Cloak replied.

"Give me the brief, skimmed over, version."

"If they don't kill you…," Xiote started.

"They maim you so that life… isn't as easy any more," ended Mixx.

My eyes went wide at the thought. I then turned my attention back to Cloak, who, for once in his life, didn't like the way I was looking at him.

"Oh no. _Don't_ look at me like that, babe. I _know_ that look, but… I…," he started.

"Cloak, I know what kind of trouble Zanramon's done; not just to you and myself, but… to others as well, but… you _can't_ leave him to the mercy of those pirates," I said.

Cloak looked at me; he _so_ wanted to say 'want a bet?', but he knew I was right.

"Why do you always have to be right about these sorts of things?" he asked somewhat irritably.

I just smiled at him.

At that moment, D.C crackled back onto Cloak's communicator.

"Cloak?" he asked in a whispered voice.

"The cavalry's on it's way, D.C. Hang in there," Cloak replied.

"Good, just hurry!"

With that the transmission was terminated and Cloak returned the device to his pocket before looking at the rest of us.

"I'm going to need a bit of help," he said, looking particularly at the All-Stars.

They smiled back at him and nodded in unison.

"We're behind you all the way, Cloak," Monza said.

"Thank you," Cloak smiled before looking at the a less likely candidate, "Zanner?" he asked, looking at his cousin.

"Since when have _I_ ever said 'no' to a party?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

Cloak nodded approvingly and appreciatively at his cousin.


	5. Chapter 5

.Chapter five.

"I'm coming whether you like it or not, Cloak," I said, walking aboard the ship the All-Stars and Cloak had unearthed from one of the barns.

"Cal, think of this logically, please," Cloak pleaded behind me.

"I have and… Zanramon's my pain too so I have just as much reason to go with."

Cloak just looked at me oddly as I sat down in one of the seats. Upon seeing his expression I just smiled amusedly and said, "You really want to let those Zar-whatever _pirates_ have all the fun?"

"Very funny," he said with a smile.

"Being rescued by you is going to be one of the worst things to happen to Zanramon since…"

"Since _I_ defaced that 'marvellous' statue of his," Cloak said helpfully, as the door to the ship closed behind Zap who was the last to board.

"Exactly," I nodded.

"And… how is your coming with going to help that?"

"It's not. I'm just coming along as back up and first aid applicator should you or any other Triceraton need it."

"If you think about it, Cloak, she could also act as bait or a distraction," said Xoite.

"Oi!" I protested.

The others just laughed.

"I would prefer to send Zanner in for that," Cloak said with a smile.

"Hey!" Zanner protested.

The others laughed at his reaction also.

Zanner just scrunched up his snout and looked at me before saying, "Nice to know how much they value us, 'ey?"

"Very," I agreed.

"All right, you lot, sit down and get ready for take off," said Burn from the pilot's seat.

"Okay," we replied in unison.

"Move over," said Cloak, as Burn started up the engine.

I quickly moved up to let Cloak sit down next to me. He put an arm on the backrest above my shoulders and smiled amusedly as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I couldn't help but smile equally amusedly back.

It wasn't long before we reached the ship and connected to one of it's docking tunnels.

"Good thing that this thing still recognises old Triceraton ships," Burn said in a hushed voice.

"Cal, you and Burn are to stay here until sent for. Do you understand?" Monza asked.

"Understood," I nodded.

"How come you'll listen to him, but not to me?" Cloak asked.

"Unless you forgot, Monza used to be my old boss. You've only been a friend."

Cloak just gave me a disbelieving look, but then got back to the job at hand.

"All right, boys, be careful," said Burn.

"We will be," Monza replied.

With that the doors to the docking tunnel opened on our ship and the All-Stars and Cloak began to make their way down the tunnel. Burn and I watched until they reached the other door, then we hid ourselves below the window and seat level in case any of the Zarnozican pirates happened to glance out of one of the cruisers windows.

Burn and I waited and waited and waited, but after a whole three quarters of a helate of waiting and trying to contact Monza on the two-way he was carrying Burn decided something was up.

"So, what do we do?" I asked.

"We're going in after 'em. I'm not going to have any Zarnozican's maiming my boys; they've got a match coming up in a few months," Burn replied, grabbing a small blaster from a cubby hole next to his hiding place under one of the seats.

I just nodded in understanding.

"Grab one of these too. Hopefully, you won't have to use it, but…," he started.

"Better safe than sorry," I finished for him, grabbing one of the weapons from a cubby hole next to me.

Burn smiled and nodded.

As soon as we were both ready we headed down the docking tunnel to the cruiser.

When we walked into the cruiser itself, it was eerily quiet. The lights were off and there were no sounds of footsteps anywhere except our own. We crept through, making as little noise as possible. Then, suddenly, we heard a noise and froze. Before we could move we were both grabbed from behind. Each of us had a hand clamp over our mouths before we could protest. We struggled to get free, but it was no use. Our captors were too big for us to fight. They pulled us back into a side room and closed the door.

"Chill would yah?" a familiar voice whispered.

"Zanner?" I asked, though the word was muffled thanks to someone's hand.

"Ooph. Baby, you can kick. Mmf," Cloak groaned, as he released me and sat down on a bench behind him.

"Oh my goodness. Cloak! I'm sorry," I said in a hushed tone, turning to face him.

"What are you boys trying to pull?" Burn asked also in a hushed voice.

"Trying to keep you from becoming captives like the crew," Monza replied, rubbing his legs where Burn had also landed some pretty impressive kicks.

"You all right?" I asked Cloak, kinda ignoring everyone else.

"I'll live," he replied, also rubbing his legs.

"Just be glad she wasn't wearing high-heels," Zanner said with a smile.

"True," Cloak replied.

"So, what's the plan now guys?" asked Zap.

"Same as it was _before_ these two pitched," Monza said, looking at Burn and me.

"Hey! We thought we had to come to your aid," Burn said in our defence.

"Yeah. We couldn't get through to you on the radio," I added.

"They've got a signal scrambler up. No-one's able to contact the ship and the ship isn't able to contact anyone," Cloak explained.

I just nodded in understanding.

Just then we heard footsteps outside the door.

"I tell you I saw something on the onboard cameras," hissed one voice.

"You're seeing things," hissed another.

"Better to be safe than sorry."

With that we heard the door begin to slide open.

Cloak and Monza didn't miss a beat. They sprang into action, each taking a side of the door.

"Well, well, well. What do we have…," started one of the two creatures that stood in the door way before Cloak pounded him in the back with a fist.

The other swung to face Cloak, drawing out his blaster as he did so, but was floored by Monza before he could do anything.

"Nice one boys," Burn smiled, while Cloak and Monza picked up the two limp creatures and moved them aside while the door closed on its own.

"We better make a move soon. If they're picking up on our location…," started Monza.

"Agreed," Cloak replied.

"All right boys. Let's move out."

The other All-Stars and Zanner nodded.

"Zanner, stay here with Burn and Cal. I don't want anything happening to them," Cloak replied.

"What?" the three of us asked in unison.

"It's too…"

"If you say 'dangerous', Cloak…," I started.

"Cal. Darling, please. Just _stay_ here! I don't want to lose you," Cloak said, using a tone I had never heard him use before.

I just looked at him stunned.

"Been a while since we've heard that tone," Monza said, with a little smile.

"It only comes out when someone I care about is in danger," Cloak replied.

I sighed in defeat. As much as I wanted to help him, he knew more about these kind of situations than I did.

"All right, Cloak," I consented.

"Thank you," he said, gratefully.

"It's nice to see you stepping up."

He just chuckled as he walked over to me and pulled me into a side hug.

"If we plan on staying together… I thought I would have to at some stage," he said.

I just nudged him playfully and he returned the gesture.

"All right you two. Cloak, we've got a job…," started Monza.

"Right," Cloak nodded, releasing me from his hold.

"Be careful," I said, watching him walk towards the door with the others.

"I will be," he replied, looking back over his shoulder.

With that the guys, minus Zanner, disappeared further into the ship.

It kinda sucked not being able to see what happened, but I was just glad that Zanner, Burn and myself got to see the end result. Monza called us on the radio, they had literally killed the signal scrambler, and told us to get to the bridge. When we had arrived we found the onboard troops keeping their ex-captors covered with enough fire-power to make the 4th of July fireworks display look dull. I walked straight over to Cloak and gave him a hug, I was glad to see that he was still in one piece. Only when I heard a disgruntled snort next to us did I realise that the VIP of the ship was less than a yard from us.

"Oh. Well, hello again, Zanramon," I said with a possibly bit too amused smile.

He did _not_ look like a very content Prime Leader.

All I got in return for my greeting was another disgruntled snort and then he looked away from me.

"Hey," Cloak said, looking at Zanramon.

Zanramon very reluctantly looked back at Cloak with narrowed eyes.

"The best male won out in the end," Cloak said, looking down his nose at Zanramon just to emphasis his definite height advantage.

Zanramon just wrinkled his snout.

"Face it, P.L. Z. You've been beat," Zanner said, coming to his cousin's aid.

"We'll see about that," Zanramon replied through gritted teeth before turning to Mozar and saying, "Contact law enforcement. They'll be wanting this lot."

Mozar saluted and then went to make the call.

Meanwhile, Zanramon turned back to Cloak, Zanner and myself; the others had also joined us.

"You have one trigon to get out of here," he said, arms still folded across his chest.

Cloak nodded thankfully and then began to lead us out of the bridge area.

"Don't think this is over, Cloak. You may have rescued my men and me, but… that doesn't mean anything," he said, as we left.

"Oh come _on_, P.L. Z!" Zanner exclaimed, turning to face Zanramon again, "Let the two be will you? It's kinda obvious who Cal likes! And…" Zanner stopped when Cloak put a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, Zanner. All's fair in love and war," Cloak said.

"Which is this?"

"Both I suppose."

The rest of us just shook our heads at the reply before we all continued on our way back to the ship.

Once back on the farm, Mr. and Mrs. T were thrilled to see us back safe and sound, but less than ecstatic at hearing what Zanramon had said.

"Oh, can't he just _accept_ that you've made your choice?" Mrs. T asked.

I just shrugged and looked up at Cloak.

"He knows you're here now. Where else can you go?" asked Zap.

"Where he won't find you too easily," added Monza.

I didn't have an answer for their question.

"I've been thinking about that," said Cloak.

I looked up at him, he hadn't mentioned anything to me about this.

"What?" asked Mixx, who was currently stroking a very sleepy looking Bruno.

"Cal's met my family, but I haven't met hers. I thought maybe we could head down to Earth," Cloak replied, looking down at me.

"Serious?" I asked.

He just nodded and smiled.

"But… what about your family? They need you too," I said.

"That's where the other part of my plan came in," he replied.

I just tilted my head a bit, confused.

"Zanramon will eventually find us if we stay put, but… if we're moving about every now and then… at random…," Cloak started.

"He won't be able to pin point us," I finished for him.

"Exactly."

With a delighted laugh I flung my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss before saying, "I knew there was more to you than just good looks."

Cloak chuckled at my comment and hugged me back.

"Well then, you kids better get packing. Zanramon's still in the area and… knowing him the way I do…," Mr. T began.

"True," Cloak replied.

"And I'll go talk to a guy I know at the local ship repair shop, he owes me one," Zanner said.

"Thanks, Zanner."

With that we went our separate ways, Zanner to his ship repair guy, Cloak and I to gather our things, and the rest to wherever they needed to be.

Cloak closed the cargo hatch on our ship, a little four-man vessel that was going to be scrapped. Personally I thought it looked like a customized fighter, but I didn't say anything.

"Well, that's it," Cloak said, putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Take care now you two," Mrs. T said, she looked like she was one click away from tears.

"We will be, mom," Cloak replied, letting go of me and going to give his mom a hug.

She squeezed him tightly and then let him go to his dad who gave him a less life threatening hug goodbye.

"Now you behave yourself," Zanner said, when Cloak came to him.

"Don't I always?" he asked, shaking Zanner's hand.

Zanner just smiled and then gave his cousin a hug. Cloak rolled his eyes at his cousin, but patted his back in a mini-hug anyway.

"Any problems and… I'm sure you'll be able to find one of my contacts along the way," Zanner said, releasing Cloak.

"I'm sure I will," Cloak replied.

The farewells with the All-Stars were brief, they had a tournament close to Earth in a few months so we had a good chance of running across them then. We boarded the ship, Cloak took the pilot's seat and I took the co-pilot's seat. One last wave to our loved ones and we were off.

"Hmm, it works," Cloak said, when we cleared the atmosphere of the planet.

"What? You didn't know if…," I started, a bit alarmed.

"Relax. I've piloted worse across the galaxy."

That wasn't encouraging. Cloak just smiled amusedly at me, put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. I just smiled back at him, shaking my head slightly, but we were on our way now so there was no turning back.

(Cal: Thanks for reading everyone, we really appreciate your interest in our history.

Cloak: Yeah. Until we find the time to record the rest of our adventures together, see you.

Cal: Yes. See you and take care.

Signed: _Cal and Cloak_.)


End file.
